The Idaho Spending Index serves to provide a fiscally conservative perspective on state budgeting while providing an unbiased measurement of how Idaho lawmakers apply these values to their voting behavior on appropriations bills. Each bill is analyzed within the context of the metrics below. They receive one (+1) point for each metric that is satisfied by freedom-focused policymaking and lose one (-1) point for each instance in which the inverse is true. The sum of these points composes the score for the bill.

Analyst: Niklas Kleinworth

Rating: 0

Bill Description: Senate Bill 1200 provides a total additional appropriation of $22,300 to the Public Utilities, Tax, and Industrial Commissions to raise the pay for commissioners.

Senate Bill 1200 provides an additional appropriation to increase salaries for public commissioners. These salaries are not subject to the $1.20 statewide change in employee compensation and must be adjusted in statute. This legislation makes the statutory change and appropriates an additional $122,742 to the Public Utilities Commission, $113,977 to the State Tax Commission, and $119,540 to the Industrial Commission to account for the increase in pay.

Does this budget incur any wasteful spending among discretionary funds, including new line items? Conversely, does this budget contain any provisions that serve to reduce spending where possible (i.e. base reductions, debt reconciliation, etc.)? 

This appropriation is commensurate with the $1.20 statewide change in employee compensation. This increase is consistent with other salary increases seen throughout the state.

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